Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None

Section I

Zarathustra says, “And especially since I am the enemy of the spirit of gravity, that is the bird’s way; and truly, deadly enemy, arch-enemy, ancient enemy! Oh where has my enmity not already flown and flown astray!” (153). As a climber of mountains and a preacher of the elevation of man, Zarathustra considers himself to defy gravity. As such, he compares different body parts to those of a bird, wondering why the way of the bird is not more cherished.

Section II

Zarathustra argues that he who one day teaches man to fly will christen the earth anew and be the “light one” (154). Zarathustra teaches that the man who wants to fly may do so if he only learns to love himself. To love oneself in a healthy way means that one is at peace in one’s body and does not need to roam around. Zarathustra says, “Such roaming around christens itself “love of the neighbor”: these words so far have produced the best lying and hypocrisy, and especially from those whom all the world found heavy” (154). When one sweats under the burden of the earth, one is told that life itself is a heavy burden.